Israeli Airstrike on Gaza School Results in 30 Fatalities
An Israeli military strike on a school in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah has resulted in the deaths of at least 30 Palestinians and injuries to more than 100, according to reports from the Hamas-run Ministry of Health. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed on Telegram that the Khadija School was being used by Hamas as a command and control center.
The IDF asserted that the facility was utilized by Hamas to orchestrate attacks and store weapons. In contrast, Gaza’s health ministry presented footage depicting civilians, predominantly children, among the casualties. The BBC confirmed the authenticity of a video showing injured children.
Eyewitness accounts described a chaotic scene with individuals scrambling amidst the debris. People could be seen carrying injured children, while a woman was seen comforting another child, and a group transported a wounded man on a stretcher. A body covered with a blanket was also visible.
Hamas condemned the attack, stating that the school was a refuge for displaced people, including women and children. Gaza’s civil defense service echoed this, saying the school sheltered many displaced individuals. Despite the IDF’s assertion that they had taken precautions to minimize civilian casualties by using appropriate munitions and conducting aerial surveillance, the outcome was devastating.
The ongoing conflict in Gaza has seen the IDF’s military campaign result in over 39,000 Palestinian deaths, as per Gaza’s health ministry. The recent strike in Deir al-Balah occurred amidst continuing evacuations ordered by the IDF in southern Khan Younis. The military warned civilians to evacuate to a “humanitarian area” in al-Mawasi due to intensified operations following significant rocket fire from Hamas.
The IDF released maps highlighting a reduced humanitarian zone in al-Mawasi, with further reductions ordered on Monday preceding a major operation against Hamas fighters. The evacuation orders were followed by reports from Gaza’s health ministry of at least 70 additional fatalities in Khan Younis due to Israeli airstrikes.
Simultaneously, violence also erupted in the West Bank, where Israeli military action in the Balata refugee camp in Nablus resulted in the death of a 17-year-old boy and injuries to nine others, according to the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Health.
The BBC has reached out to the IDF for comments on these incidents.
